High-quality LiTaO(3) integrated-optical waveguides and devices fabricated by the annealed-proton-exchange technique

High-quality single-mode LiTaO(3) integrated-optical waveguides and devices were fabricated below the Curie temperature by the annealed-proton-exchange technique. The waveguides had a high polarization extinction (51 dB), low propagation loss (<0.25 dB/cm), and low fiber-to-waveguide coupling loss (0.5 dB per junction) at 0.82 microm. The device-measured r(33) (29.9 x 10(-12) m/V) electro-optic coefficient indicates no change in its value from that of bulk LiTaO(3).